The Chapter on Medicines
Chapter Five
Toh 1-6
Degé Kangyur vol. 1 (’dul ba, ka), folios 277.b–311.a; vol. 2 (’dul ba, kha), folios 1.a–317.a; and vol. 3 (’dul ba, ga), folios 1.a–50.a
- Palgyi Lhünpo
- Sarvajñādeva
- Vidyākaraprabha
- Dharmākara
- Paltsek
Imprint
Translated by the Bhaiṣajyavastu Translation Team
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
Current version v 1.1.2 (2024)
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84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Bhaiṣajyavastu, “The Chapter on Medicines,” is a part of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, the corpus of monastic law of one of the most influential Buddhist schools in India. This chapter deals with monastic regulations about medicines. At the same time, it also includes various elements not restricted to such rules: stories of the Buddha and his disciples, a lengthy story of the Buddha’s journey for the purpose of quelling an epidemic and converting a nāga, a number of stories of the Buddha’s former lives narrated by the Buddha himself, and a series of verses recited by the Buddha and his disciples about their former lives. Thus, this chapter preserves not only interesting information about medical knowledge shared by ancient Indian Buddhist monastics but also an abundance of Buddhist narrative literature.
Acknowledgements
This text was translated by the Bhaiṣajyavastu Translation Team. Fumi Yao translated the Tibetan text into English and prepared the ancillary materials. Shayne Clarke proofread the translation and ancillary materials.
The translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of Leo Tong Chen and his family; Zhang Wei, Li Mo, Zhang Mo Tong and Zhang Mo Lin; (Chi Xian Ren) Mao Gui Rong and Chi Mei; and Joseph Tse 謝偉傑, Patricia Tse 鄒碧玲 and family, in dedication to all eczema sufferers. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.
Text Body
The Chapter on Medicines
Chapter Five
I. The Axe229
The Blessed One stayed in Kalmāṣadamya, a village of the people of Kuru. At that time the Blessed One said to the monks, “Monks, having known and seen that defilements had been exhausted, I said . . . .” (Here the Sūtra of the Parable of the Axe in the section on the aggregates in the Saṃyuktāgama is to be recited in detail).230
II. Devadṛśa231
III. Lumbinī233
IV. Kapila234
The Blessed One arrived in Kapilavastu and there said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, in this Kapilavastu, in this very place, King Śuddhodana was born and grew up.
V. Where There Is Cotton
The Blessed One then arrived at a place called Where There Is Cotton. Thereupon the Blessed One said to the monks,235 “Monks, I will teach you about attendants who oppose the Dharma and those who follow it. [F.62.a] Listen well and keep this in mind; I shall teach it.
“What is an attendant who is opposed to the Dharma? The attendant who proceeds because of desire, anger, delusion, and fear is called an attendant who is opposed to the Dharma.
“What is an attendant who follows the Dharma? The attendant who does not proceed because of desire, anger, delusion, or fear is called an attendant who follows the Dharma.
“Monks, I said to you, ‘I will teach you about attendants who oppose the Dharma and those who follow it.’ This is it.”
VI. Kanakamuni
VII. Kārṣaka
VIII. A Robe
Again, in a certain place, the Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, a robe of the Perfectly Awakened One Kanakamuni was spread in this place.”
IX. Bath
X. Sikatin
The Blessed One arrived in Sikatin. In Sikatin … (The Sūtra of the Parable of Pole Climbing in the section of the path is abbreviated here).236